This solo exhibition investigates the relationships between pattern, physical movement, labor, and memory. These elements are at the nexus of Dionis Ortiz’s conceptual process and are manifested in collage, painting and printmaking.

Much of the loci for his exploration centers on his dual identity as a New Yorker from Harlem and as a person of Dominican descent, born to immigrant parents, he aims to convey the struggles of his environment, devotion to his community, and how New York embodies Dominican culture. He is American because this is his place of birth and where he grew up, but his family roots lie in Dominican culture which is also a fusion of more than one culture. The act of making is essentially a visual and spiritual navigational tool, one that dissects disparate information and memories and reconstructs them in a conceptual mapping, both for talismanic and elucidatory properties.  

The rhombus acts as a compass, a north star, one that guided his family through the migration process from the Dominican Republic to New York. Growing up in Harlem, he lived within the confines of his parent’s home and community. He would see the rhombus shape in vinyl tiles at home and in the community's architecture. These maze-like repetitions seemed to be signaling something apophenic, but the meaning remained elusive to him. Recalling this feeling of spirituality in the mundane led him to construct a series of abstract collages using enamel paint on vinyl tile patterns. He used vinyl tiles that mimic the feel of wood, the ersatz yet regal qualities address the aspirational drive of new immigrants while variegated colors of wood reflect the nuances of skin colors within his family and community. The impermanence of the vinyl juxtaposed with the permanence of painting coalesces with thoughts and feelings of the past and present. The process of creating kaleidoscopic collages with vinyl tiles is both a way to map the past and liberate him from the past, making him an agent of free will.

Exhibition dates: December 9th through January 7th

Virtual Opening: Wednesday, December 9th at 6:00pm
Studio Talk: Friday, December 11th at 6:00 pm

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